Caribou Coffee to close majority of Illinois locations

Downers Grove location to remain open, others in question

DOWNERS GROVE – Caribou Coffee announced today that it's closing the majority of its Chicagoland locations and renaming several others.

The Minnesota-based coffee chain was bought by a German holding company last year for about $340 million, and announced today that it would close the majority of its 66 Illinois locations, and convert more than a dozen to Peet's Coffee & Tea shops.

The chain has more than a half dozen west suburban locations, including shops in Downers Grove, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Willowbrook, La Grange, Oakbrook Terrace and Countryside.

The Downers Grove location will remain open, according to an employee who asked not to be named. He would not say whether or not it would be converted into a Peet's.

Business will end at noon Sunday for the closing locations.

Calls placed to Caribou public relations staff were not immediately returned.

As of Sept. 30, 2012, the company had 610 coffeehouses, including 202 franchised locations, in 22 states, the District of Columbia and 10 international markets, according to a press release at the time of the December buyout.